


A Cappuccino For Your Troubles

by xnatxstevex



Series: The Multiverse Theory [4]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Christmas, Christmas Tree, Coffee Shops, F/M, First Kiss, Fluff, Light Angst, Snow, Strangers to Lovers, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-07
Updated: 2020-05-07
Packaged: 2021-03-02 19:46:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,317
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24062335
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xnatxstevex/pseuds/xnatxstevex
Summary: Natasha wonders about the handsome blonde who came into the cafe the other day. Soon, she notices he comes by more and more, almost every day, and orders the exact same thing. She wonders if it's because he likes it so much, or if it's just him looking for an excuse to come back.Natasha is a barista at a cafe who's just trying to pay off her college loans, and Steve is an artist striving to find the perfect subject.Well, he finds it in her.
Relationships: Steve Rogers & Natasha Romanov, Steve Rogers/Natasha Romanov
Series: The Multiverse Theory [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1728547
Comments: 7
Kudos: 66





	A Cappuccino For Your Troubles

**Author's Note:**

> big shoutout to my followers on my instagram @xnatxstevex for being my biggest supporters!

It was a sunny October day in New York city, and Steve loved it.

He always loved the fall; the leaves were so beautiful and he enjoyed painting large landscapes of the now orange-coated streets. He considered it to be his favourite thing to draw. He had nowhere in particular her needed to be, so he marched into one of the popular cafes down the street; this one he'd never visited before.

Immediately the atmosphere was inviting. He looked around at the room, filled with warm colours and gorgeous dark wood stools at matching tables, as well as a bar near where the baristas would create the beverages and food.

The place wasn't busy; it was 10 am after all. He took his time walking up to the counter, and was immediately greeted by a man.

"Hello!" He said; the name tag read Clint. "How may I help you?"

"I'll have a vanilla bean cappuccino," he ordered. "Aaaaand... a blueberry muffin."

Clint typed a few things into the cash register. "Will that be all?"

Steve nodded.

"Your total comes to $7.25."

Steve reached into his coat pocket, shuffling around until he pulled a handful of coins and bills to cover the expense.

"Thank you! Your drink will be ready to the right."

Steve nodded again, stepping to the right and taking a seat at one of the bar stools. He was so busy on his phone checking his art site that he didn't hear that his order was ready.

"Sir?"

A female voice brought Steve out of his thoughts and into the room, and he gasped silently at the woman who passed him his meal.

She had short bright red hair, a similar shade to the leaves he loved so much, and if that didn't catch Steve's attention then the startlingly green eyes did. He noted her smile; not a big, wide grin, but more of a sly smirk, like her heart was laughing at something.

"Uh, thank you," he said, taking his drink and muffin and placing them in front of him. He pulled a sketchbook out of his side bag along with a charcoal pencil, and focused hard on it, occasionally taking a sip of his coffee.

"What do you think he's drawing?" Wanda asked Nat, startling her slightly. Wanda was the newest and youngest member of Staff at the cafe. A senior in high school, she quickly bonded with the elder Natasha and they often chatted at work.

She shook her head. "I have no idea."

Wanda hummed, then moved to tend to a new customer.

Nat stepped up to the edge of the counter, busying herself with cleaning the coffee maker.

"What are you drawing?" She asked him.

He jumped slightly, eyes focusing on the person in front of him. He quickly swapped pages.

"Leaves," he lied. She smirked.

"It looks good," she told him. "I like the colours."

"Right."

Natasha noted that he didn't have any of said fall colours out anyways.

She nodded, continuing with her work.

Soon, Steve had finished his food, and he disposed of the trash. He thanked the workers kindly, then stepped out the store, hearing it ding as he left.

He reached into his bed and pulled his sketchbook out, pulling up the drawing he was working on in the shop.

The barista- what was her name? He hadn't checked- had the perfect angles on her face, Steve couldn't miss the opportunity to draw her. He decided that he would come back the next day and figure out the name of the beautiful woman.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Wanda elbowed Natasha, hard, in the ribs when the blonde reappeared in the cafe the next day. She checked her watch; it was ten o'clock, same as yesterday.

He ordered the same thing and sat in the same spot, despite the increase of customers since the previous day.

She passed him his food and he thanked her, once again pulling out a sketchbook.

Clint didn't understand what the girls where so interested in. Sure, he was good looking, but they were much more entranced with his drawings than him.

"Do you paint?" Wanda asked him, once again causing him to jump.

Steve pulled his medium length hair back, breathing in. "Yeah."

"Do you have one on you?" She asked. He nodded, displaying a drawing he did of his friend, Carol.

"Wow," Wanda exclaimed. "You're good. You should draw my friend Nata-"

"Don't you have customers to serve?" Natasha asked the younger girl before Steve could blush.

She took one last look at Steve's artwork, then ran off to hand out coffees.

"Sorry about her," Nat chuckled. "She's wild."

Steve laughed. "So you're Natasha?"

She chuckled again. "Guilty as charged."

"Well I'll see you around, Natasha," he told her, standing up and putting his trash away, once again leaving the cafe.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Over the next two week period, Steve visited the cafe every single day, and ordered the exact same meal.

Natasha noted that he was shy, only speaking when he was spoken to, although he did engage in friendly banter with the baristas.

He always whipped out his sketchbook, and they had yet to know what he always came there drawing. He claimed fall leaves, which they soon discovered was his favourite thing to draw, but they secretly doubted this.

October quickly became November, and Steve considered himself to be a friend of the cafe workers.

He'd walk in and be immediately greeted by Natasha with a "hey Steve" or a "you're late" if she was feeling rebellious and it was 10:02.

They'd chat about meaningless topics such as the weather, and Steve would draw as he listened and commented every now and then.

As December rolled around, she asked him about his Christmas plans.

"I thought I'd spend some time with my friends," he told her.

"What about you're family?"

Steve shrugged. "My parents died when I was younger. Never really had anyone else."

Nat nodded. "I don't even know where my parents are. They dropped me off to live with my uncle in America when I was three and that was that."

They sat in solemn comfortable silence for a while, until Steve talked.

"So you're not from around here?"

"Russian," she told him.

"Ah," he noted. "I didn't realize how beautiful Russians are."

She blushed at his words; she wasn't expecting that.

Steve smiled.

He stood up to go, spilling his sketchbook onto the floor where several pieces of paper out. She immediately ducked down to pick them up, and Steve;s eyes narrowed.

"Oh my god," she said, picking up a drawing and showing Steve. "Are these all me?"

Steve didn't answer; it was obviously her.

"They're so good, I had no idea!"

He was blushing furiously now, quickly scraping the drawings together and shoving them back in his bag. He stood up and immediately turned around to go.

"You forgot one!" She called, but he didn't answer or turn around; he just left the cafe in a hurry.

Once Steve had travelled a block with impressive walking speed, he sat down on a bench by the park, setting his face in his hands.

He never should have started any of this! He just wanted to draw her in all her natural beauty, he should have kept a distance.

But she was Natasha, cool, funny, and smart, and he was entranced by far more than just her good looks. But now she knew about the drawings, so, naturally, he could never ever go back there again. 

He felt cold wetness on his neck, and he looked up to see that it was snowing.

Now wanting to be around if it started to blizzard, he fled home for the night.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------

Christmas Eve rolled around fast.

Steve hadn't come back to the cafe after the incident, and Wanda and Clint asked her if she knew. She told them she was just as clueless as them.

When she'd go back to her apartment, she marvel at the perfection of the sketch of herself. Why had he left after she saw the drawings? She was actually quite flattered, and had hoped he would show her the other mediums he'd imaged her with, but that never happened.

She had liked Steve; she was just waiting for him to gather the courage to ask her out. It was obvious he had a crush on her. But now, that would probably never happen.

She left work, wishing her coworkers a Merry Christmas as they finished up closing shop, and headed downtown to the giant tree that was put there. By the time she arrived it was already late at night; eleven thirty, she marvelled.

She stood near the base, where not many others where, and pulled the sketch out of her pocket. It was slightly wrinkled from being in her tiny woman pockets, but still recognizable. 

She looked down at it, then up at the tree, hoping with all her might that she'd get to see the mysterious artist again.

After about ten minutes of wish making, she realized she was being dumb; honestly, did she expect this to work?

She whipped around, ready to commute home when she bumped, head one right into the one and only Steve.

When he collected himself and looked at who had bumped into him, she noted his cheeks flushed immediately.

"Natasha!" He semi-shouted, partially confused and partially downright shocked.

Nat frowned at him. "Where the hell have you been for the last, like, month?"

He rubbed the back of his neck. "I'm sorry."

"You're sorry?" Now she was mad. "You left without so much as a goodbye, and why, because I'd seen some drawings you'd done of me?"

He sighed. "It wasn't just some, Natasha. I drew you every time I went to the cafe! I thought you'd think I was a creep or something!"

She was still livid. "Well, actually, I found it extremely flattering and hoped you would show me how you did it one day!"

He responded with an "oh."

"And also it was super cute that the only reason you came to the cafe was to draw me! And- and I was actually gonna ask you out after that because I was tired of waiting for you to do it yourself!"

He opened his mouth to speak but she silenced him, continuing to yell.

"For all I know you could've died and I would've been none the wiser! How could you do that? I had no address, no phone number, not even a last name to find your adorable ass! Do you know how many Steve's live in New York? I don't, but I can assure you there's probably a lot! Don't you ever do that again!"

Steve waited a moment for her to catch her breath. "Are you finished?"

She pouted, crossing her arms "Yes."

"Natasha, I'm sorry," Steve told her. "But I hope I can make it up to you. How about dinner at my place?"

She couldn't stop herself from smiling, and hit him playfully on the arm. "It's nearly midnight, you moron. I've already eaten."

"Well," he offered, a smile stretching across his features. "How about some dessert?"

She nodded. "Can't turn down such an offer."

The clock rang midnight, and their eyes drifted from the tower to each other.

"Merry Christmas, Natasha," he said.

"Merry Christmas, Steve."

He noted how rosy her cheeks were in the cold, how the beanie snugly held her red curls down, how her green eyes peeked up through her eyelashes to look at him.

He decided she'd never looked more gorgeous than she did right now.

"C-can I kiss you?" He asked her. 

She laughed, looping her arm around his neck. "Yeah. Yeah, you can."

He leaned down, capturing her lips with his and lord, it felt like everything Christmas was about.

It was short; he drew back, and she was smiling. Correction; this was her best look.

"Oh my god," he said. She looked concerned. "I'm sorry- you look so gorgeous, can I take a picture so I can draw you later?"

She laughed. "Dork."

He took that as a yes and snapped a few as she laughed at him; her biggest fan.

They walked away from the tree, making their way to the subway entrance.

"So you think I'm cute?" He asked her.

She laughed. "Oh, so now you're confident?"

"I'm confident when I'm not terrified you'll figure out I'm sketching you daily."

She smiled again, leaning into his side as they went down the stairs.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------

Steve entered the cafe again, and was instantly greeted by Wanda and Clint.

"Steve!" They'd cheered.

He smiled, happy to know he was missed.

"Where've you been?" She asked him. He shrugged.

"Away." They retreated to behind the counter, Clint already making his order. "Where's Nat?"

"Here," she said, walking around the counter. He smiled, happy to see her, and pulled her into a romantic kiss.

Wanda nearly screamed, pointing at them. "You're kissing! They're kissing!"

Clint chuckled. "Took you two long enough."

He passed her a drawing, and she looked it over.

It was none other than the picture of her in the snow, laughing at something stupid he'd said. She smiled.

"Oooooh!" Wanda joked. "So you two have been busy..."

Nat smacked the young girl on the back of her head, and she retreated, cackling.

Clint shook his head. "You can go, Nat. We can hold down the fort."

She kissed Clint on the cheek and looped her arm with Steve's heading out the door.

"Remember to use a condom, you two!" He shouted at them as they left.

They didn't even try to conceal their blushing cheeks.

Nat whipped around, giving her coworker the middle finger.

"We did!" She cackled.

They headed out the door, no doubt leaving Clint stunned, and laughed as they started the next phase of their lives, together.

**Author's Note:**

> make sure to leave a kudos or comment if you liked what you read, and don't forget to check out my other stories!!!! xoxoxo :)


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